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Prince Bought the 'Purple Rain' House Months Before He Died

A wholesome, two-story Minneapolis house, made famous in Prince's film Purple Rain, was purchased by the recording artist eight months before he died.

The house, located at 3420 Snelling Avenue, was purchased by the singer's company, NPG Music Publishing, in August 2015, for $117,000 in cash.

"It was a full cash offer, no inspections, no anything. There was emotional attachment to the home," Coldwell Banker Listing Agent Nancy Petran told ET. "The home was never moved into, and nobody lives there yet. A disabled vet lived there previously before the sale and passed away."

According to Petran, Prince wasn't the only one clamoring for the fixer-upper. "There were five offers on the house. At least three were over list price, and we chose the best one," she shared.

The cozy abode was a major set piece in the singer's semi-autobiographical musical drama, released in 1984, and according to real estate agent Deborah Larsen, it was clear Prince was emotionally invested in the property.

"It seemed like they didn’t know what they wanted to do with it," Larsen, who represented NPG Music Publishing in the acquisition, told ET. "They saw the home on social media and they felt they needed to procure the purchase."

"I really questioned the legitimacy of it when I got the call. It was a general call to my office, and I picked up the phone, a woman said she was on the West Coast, was working on getting her license but didn’t have it yet. She said she wanted to buy that home, and she wanted to buy it that day in cash," Larsen recounted. "I have done real estate for 30 years it was probably the oddest call I have ever received."

"They actually never came forth that it was for Prince," she added. "I got the email [later in the day] with the proof of funds and it said NPG, [and] it all clicked."

According to Larsen, she had the purchase documents by the end of that evening, marveling, "It all happened over email in just a few hours!"

It's unknown what Prince's future plans were for the property. The "Little Red Corvette" singer died in April from an overdose, and was discovered in his Paisley Park compound in Chanhassen, Minnesota, not far from the two-story Purple Rain house.

According to Petran, she was contacted by an appraiser hired by Prince's estate, who was trying to determine the value of the home to ascertain the value of the singer's collective real estate holdings.